Description: An overview of autistic spectrum disorder and the signs of autism in different age groups.
Autism spectrum disorder is the diagnostic label given to a broad category of neurodevelopmental disorders. This is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world.
Previously, individual ‘types’ such as; autistic disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and childhood disintegrative disorder were used to diagnose individually.
However, the lines between the different types of autism could be blurry meaning that the differences between one type and another type could be subtle and difficult to determine.
What is autism?
Autism is a spectrum condition and affects people in different ways, meaning each individual will display different characteristics. The autism spectrum isn’t linear from high to low but varies, just as one person might vary from another. As such, a diagnosis on the spectrum means you can turn attention to assessing individual needs rather than strict categorisation.
All children develop at different rates and not reaching an expected developmental stage doesn’t mean your child has autism. If this is something you have considered, it is worth getting a test to ensure that if your child does have autism they are appropriately supported as their education progresses.
Autism is more prevalent in males with the most up to date ratio being 3:1 of the 1 in 100 people that are on the autism spectrum. Common signs of Autism are different in males vs females and as such women are more likely to go undiagnosed for not fitting a ‘traditional’ pattern of symptoms.
Autism in Toddlers:
The symptoms may be exacerbated as they begin to integrate with their peers at nursery school. The introduction to more intense stimuli that neurotypical children enjoy may also be harder for toddlers with autism.
Common signs of Autism in male toddlers:
- Poor social skills, restricted interests and sensory issues.
- Pronounced difficulty connecting with their caretakers.
- Sensory dysregulation is often hard for the toddler to manage.
Common signs of Autism in female toddlers:
- Less likely to exhibit restricted interests.
- Pronounced difficulty in social situations and episodes of intense aggravation.
- More likely to self-injure.
Autism in Children and Young People:
- Limited verbal skills and/or difference in speech development – for example, delays in talking or differences in how language is used.
- Difference in social interactions and/or poor communication skills – autistic people may have difficulty ‘reading’ other people and expressing themselves. They may find it hard to understand elements such as tone of voice or social cues.
- Repetitive behaviours – this may centre on a love of routine and can include interacting with toys in a rigid or repetitive way or repetitive movements such as hand flapping.
- Sensory differences – autistic people may find they are highly stimulated by certain experiences with sound, light, taste or touch. This can make everyday situations overwhelming for the individual.
- Emotional or behavioural differences – this can include struggling with high levels of anxiety or problems regulating their emotions. These issues can be triggered by social situations and it is important to recognise each individuals personal triggers.
- Highly focused interested or hobbies – these may change over time or be lifelong and can risk the individual becoming so engrossed in one topic they neglect others.
- Meltdowns and shutdowns – these are intense and exhausting experiences brought on by the person being overwhelmed by their current situation.
This can present verbally (screaming, shouting) or physically (kicking, biting). A shut down is more passive and can be perceived as the person ‘switching off’ or going quiet.